YOGYAKARTA - Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono accompanied Japanese Emperor Hironomiya Naruhito to visit the Sabo Dam Engineering Center, Maguwoharjo, Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Region.
Saba Dam is the result of collaboration between Indonesia and Japan since 1958, as a barrier, slowdown and control of the Merapi lava flow in the river channel.
"Earlier, the Emperor of Japan was surprised that this building since 1958 has been in use, and is still functioning," said Basuki Hadimuljono after accompanying Naruhito as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, June 21.
Minister Basuki said that the existence of Sabo was one of the main reasons for Naruhito's visit to DIY because the emperor was known to have an interest in water resources.
The Emperor, said Basuki, was never absent from international activities regarding water resources and management.
"Kaisar Naruhito's personal interest is actually in the water resources. I met him at the High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water Disaster (HELP) and World Water Forum in Mexico so that when he wanted to visit Indonesia, he wanted to see sabo," he said.
According to him, Sabo Dam's cooperation is not only with Indonesia but also with southern countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia.
According to him, there are similarities between Japan and Indonesia, which both have many volcanoes. Japan has 111 volcanoes, while Indonesia has 129 volcanoes.
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Therefore, the cooperation between Japan and Indonesia regarding Sabo needs to be continued.
"The Merapi Monument itself needs 367 sabo and now there are only 227. There are still 90 more for the capacity of 11 million cubic sand," said Minister Basuki.
Sabo, which means sand, said Minister Basuki, not only accommodates water, but also sand.
According to him, the sand is being held in Sabo which can be mined but there are rules that must be obeyed. "We are formulating further cooperation," he said.
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